«TREATISE ON THE MIRACLES» OF GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA

Abstract

The use of the achievements of various directions of historical research enables us to address new questions to already well-known sources, an example of which is the collection of stories about the lifetime and posthumous miracles of the Florentine preacher-prophet, Savonarola, taken for the analysis in this article. Rethinking this text through the lens of historical anthropology and the history of holiness contributes to a deeper insight into the specifics of the «Savonarola movement». Being a result of the collective work of Brother Girolamo's followers -«whiners», «Treatise on the Miracles» contains information about the peculiarities of consciousness and behavior of this group in the atmosphere of persecution that fell upon them after the execution of the Dominican monk. This source is one of the evidences of the formation the cult of the «new saint» among the «whiners» in the late 15th - 16th centuries. The study of the texts of the miracles allowed us to conclude that most of the signs of a saint inherent in the consciousness of that time were embodied in the stories about the Dominican monk. The stories included in the Treatise reflect the desire of Brother's supporters not only for his personal veneration, but also for the spread of the cult, and hence the doctrine, among other believers. Above all, the stories of Savonarola's miracles had a therapeutic focus, were aimed at uniting the community of the faithful, as well as maintaining their steadfastness in following the teachings of the Dominican preacher.